There is a cloud viewing platform in the palace, which is located in the southeast of the Wende Palace.

In spring and summer, Li Duan often comes here to climb high and look far away, but in autumn and winter, he rarely comes in cold weather, mainly because he doesn't want to listen to the long-winded advice of the queen and concubines.

After the end of the last Chang Dynasty in the thirteenth year of Jianwu, Li Duan did not return to the harem, but went straight to Guanyuntai.

Qin Zheng followed behind step by step, looking at the slightly thin back of the Son of Heaven, the melancholy in his eyes flashed.

Guanyuntai is not very high, only more than six zhang, but Li Duan's breath was obviously a little rough after he walked up, he did not deliberately hide it in front of Qin Zheng, and laughed at himself: "I am indeed old, I am not as relaxed as I was back then." ”

Qin Zheng lowered his head slightly and said, "Your Majesty is prosperous in the Spring and Autumn Period, why do you say this?" ”

Li Duan smiled, looked up to the north, and the magnificent Yongjia City came into view, but saw that the houses were connected by the streets, and the fireworks in the world were spontaneously generated, but in this cold and gloomy winter, it seemed to be stained with a layer of gray color.

"Let's take a closer look at this matter today, judging from Li Daoyan's attitude, he also doesn't want people from the north to stretch their hands into the court of Daqi. With his support and help, it will be very convenient for you to do this. ”

"Obey."

"Having said that, although Li Daoyan's reaction was somewhat beyond my expectations, it was also reasonable. Even if this old man does not support the Northern Expedition, he can still hold his position on major issues of right and wrong, which is much stronger than Ding Hui and his ilk. ”

"Your Majesty, Ding Shangshu can actually be regarded as a capable official."

"I know, otherwise I would have allowed him to take charge of the military department? Judging from the reports of Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, there has been no problem with the ordnance and armor prepared by the military department, which shows the ability of Ding Hui in general affairs. As for him running to the Prime Minister's Mansion every day and taking Li Daoyan's words as a guideline, this kind of thing is not intolerable. After all, no one is perfect. ”

Li Duan's expression was not light, but it was not bitter and hateful.

Qin Zheng knew very well about this that since the day the Son of Heaven ascended the throne thirteen years ago, he never gave up the idea of recovering his homeland and returning to the old capital in his heart during the Northern Expedition, so he fought against all forces in the DPRK and China for thirteen years.

On the surface, the Son of Heaven has not done much in the past thirteen years, and it is probably only divided into two things, one is to protect the border army generals led by Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun, and the other is to develop a force loyal to himself in the DPRK little by little in the face of constraints from all sides.

Two things that sound simple, but in fact, it takes endless effort and energy, and the Son of Heaven has also sharpened an extremely strong mind in the process, so he will not regard an existence like Ding Hui as a thorn in his side at all.

In the final analysis, it is nothing more than seeking common ground while reserving differences.

Thinking of this, Qin Zheng said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty, although the left minister came forward to suppress the turmoil in the court this time, the minister felt that they would definitely find trouble with the right minister." ”

Li Duan bowed his head slightly, and said calmly: "So the Northern Expedition must achieve greater results." The northern border army continues to win victories and regain the territory of Daqi step by step, and the right minister will have more support in the court. As my right-hand man, as long as the ministers who support him occupy a certain proportion of the court, the attacks of those people alone cannot shake his position. ”

Hearing him mention the battle in the north, Qin Zheng muttered: "Judging from the current situation, the Huaizhou Army has little problem recovering the puppet Yan Dongyang Road, and even on the Moyang Road side, it can make some progress. ”

Li Duan turned his head to look at him and asked, "What do you think of the incident that Xiao Wangzhi said in the secret compromise?" ”

Zhai Lin Wang's change of course was beyond everyone's expectations, the impact of this matter was extremely far-reaching, and it could not be made public for the time being, so Li Duan did not make a decision for a long time, and now he only gave Xiao Wangzhi a certain degree of autonomy, and did not give a clear answer to the Wang family.

There is no need to elaborate on the benefits of accepting the Wang family, but it involves the entanglement of the year, because the Wang family was one of the earliest families to take refuge in the Jing Dynasty. Although the Wang family cannot be blamed for the fall of Heluo and the death of the first emperor, no one can determine the specific role played by the Wang family before and after the Yuanjia Change.

Qin Zheng pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Your Majesty, the key to this matter is what the Wang family wants. If they just want to start all over again, it is not unacceptable that His Majesty and the imperial court will no longer pursue the mistakes made by the Zhai Lin Wang clan back then. But if they wanted to go further and maintain their unique position as the leader of the gate lords in the Northland, they still felt that it was not appropriate after thinking about it again and again. ”

"Why?"

"Your Majesty, if the Northern Expedition is successful, our dynasty will still have to face the powerful enemy of the Jing Dynasty. Whether it is the powerful family in Yongjia City, or the border army commander who is fighting desperately, no one wants to see a gate lord jumping left and right to continue to steal a high position. If you want to fight against the Jing Dynasty and at least maintain an undefeated situation, internal unity is crucial, and if the Zhai Lin Wang clan is high, it will inevitably insert a spike into the interior of our dynasty. ”

Li Duan's eyes narrowed slightly, and his slender fingers buckled on the trunk.

"I can't reject the sincerity of the Wang family, because only when there are more and more people like the Wang family, the Northern Expedition will become more and more smooth, this is the general trend, and non-personal likes and dislikes can be influenced."

Li Duan looked at the northern canopy, and his tone was distant and lonely.

Qin Zheng didn't argue about this topic, he knew better than anyone else the difficulties of the Supreme Beings around him, although he was nominally the dictatorial Son of Heaven, but almost every major matter related to the fate of the Great Qi needed to consider the interests of all parties, so he said calmly: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the ministers will let people let the wind go in advance to pave the way." ”

A look of relief appeared on Li Duan's face, and he immediately smiled: "It doesn't have to be like this. The two brothers who are now in power in the Wang family, Wang Chengben is a literary man who has no intention of career, and in the future, he will be asked to go to Fengya School Palace to lead the post of mountain chief, as for Wang An...... He has been a pseudo-Yan Zaizhi, and it is naturally inappropriate to enter the center of our court, so he can be given a false title and honor. There are countless children of the Wang family, and there must be many young and handsome among them, so let them elect a few people to come out, or enter the court or join the army to confer real positions. ”

Qin Zheng responded one by one, thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, although such an arrangement is proper, I'm afraid it won't satisfy the Wang family." ”

"This is different from the past, and the Wang family should understand their identity."

Li Duan's eyes were gentle, and his tone finally showed a bit of imperial prestige, and then said meaningfully: "Besides, isn't the Wang family preparing to marry the Guangling Lu family?" Since they pinned their hopes on Lu Shen, then I promoted and reused Lu Shen, which can be regarded as giving them a guarantee from the side. In the future, Lu Shen Qingyun will go straight up, and the daughter of the Wang family will be the wife of the righteous family, and the Wang family will naturally benefit from it. ”

Qin Zheng has always been unsmiling in front of the Son of Heaven, but at this moment, he couldn't help but smile and said with emotion: "Your Majesty is reasonable. ”

Li Duan slowly let out a long breath of relief, and said leisurely: "These gate valve families have always used marriage as the only way to maintain the foundation, and I let Lu Shen ascend to a high position, which is very much in line with their vision. ”

Qin Zheng smiled: "Exactly." ”

At this moment, a few small things suddenly appeared in his mind, and there was no need to mention them in front of the Son of Heaven, but at this moment, listening to the words of the Son of Heaven, Feng seemed to have the intention of marrying, so he reminded: "Your Majesty, when it comes to this matter, the minister suddenly remembered several news related to Lu Shen. ”

"Come on."

"As far as the minister knows, Lu Shen went to the pseudo-Yanbaotai Mountain in the first half of the year to assist the reckless gang Seven Star Gang in training its soldiers against the Yan army, in addition to being related to the strategic planning of the Huaizhou Governor's Mansion, there is also a very important reason. Lin Jie, the leader of the Seven Star Gang, is the top master in the rivers and lakes, and his daughter Lin Xi once assumed the alias of Bodhisattva Man, and assassinated Jing Chao and Pseudo-Yan magnates many times in the north. ”

Li Duan said indifferently: "Are you saying that Lu Shen has too close a relationship with that Lin Xi?" ”

Qin Zheng nodded and said, "Not only that, Lin Xi taught Lu Shen's martial arts as a senior sister, and the two have already made a family relationship in Baotai Mountain. ”

Li Duan thought for a while, and said calmly: "This is nothing, I decreed that he should marry two people at the same time, regardless of size." ”

Qin Zheng said again: "There is one more thing, but the minister does not dare to guarantee the authenticity." Lu Shen and Li Bingxue, the eldest daughter of Governor Li, have a close relationship, and there seems to be an unclear relationship between the two. ”

Li Duan was stunned.

Although the identities of the Wang family daughter and Lin Xi are very different, in the final analysis, they are just Lu Shen's personal problems, which will not affect the overall situation of the world, but Li Tianrun's favorite eldest daughter is different. And he, the emperor, can't be too ridiculous, it doesn't hurt to give Lu Shen a marriage out of consideration for the overall situation, but if the holy decree is that three women marry a husband at the same time, and there is also a military attache of the court who he personally professes, wouldn't this matter fall on the history books and make him a laughing stock?

As soon as he thought of this, Li Duan couldn't help but laugh and scolded: "Lu Shen, this guy looks honest and dedicated, how can he mess with flowers and grass everywhere in private!" ”

But there was no smile in his eyes.

Qin Zheng knew this.

In addition to his own ability, the Son of Heaven's attention to Lu Shen was more out of his attraction to Xiao Wangzhi, after all, this Huaizhou Metropolitan Governor was a little distant from the imperial court compared to Li Tianrun. On this basis, the Son of Heaven will not suppress Lu Shen's rise, and will even accelerate his promotion for some reasons, such as the recent sudden entry of the Zhai Lin Wang clan.

However, Lu Shen himself has Xiao Wangzhi's support, and he can also have a close relationship with the Metropolitan Governor of Jingzhou, especially the difficult to confirm relationship between him and Li Bingxue, which will definitely make the Son of Heaven have a trace of doubt.

What will be the future of a young military general who straddles the governor's palace of the two border armies, is about to marry the largest gate lord family in the north, and at the same time has the appreciation of the Son of Heaven?

At the moment, he is naturally not as good as Xiao Wangzhi or Li Tianrun, but as an emperor, it is impossible to just look at the present.

Qin Zheng didn't give any opinion, as the most trusted courtier of the Son of Heaven, he knew very well that he only needed to keep his mouth shut at this time.

After a long time, Li Duan said gently: "Compared with prevention, I am more willing to use people without suspicion. But this kid is too good at provoking Peach Blossom, and I have to remind him a few words, so as not to cause a lot of trouble in the future, and I can't decree that he will marry seventeen or eighteen wives. ”

Qin Zheng knew in his heart that the Son of Heaven had made a decision, at least there would be no trouble for Lu Shen now, and the future of this young man was still bright.

As for the future...... Who knows what the world will become?

"Your Majesty."

Qin Zheng bowed.

Li Duan turned his head to look at him, and said with a smile: "You never do things without purpose, and today I deliberately mentioned these trivial matters, are you worried that someone will use this to attack Lu Shen in the future, and then destroy the overall situation of the Northern Expedition?" ”

Qin Zheng smiled but did not answer.

Li Duan raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, and said word for word: "Peace of mind, I am not a faint king." ”

(End of chapter)